"BHS" School Shooting Threat Was A Hoax

Binghamton school administrators say a reported threat against the high school turned out to be a hoax. Just after 10pm on Monday night, Binghamton parents got a message from the school district explaining the threat that had been distributed through the social media messaging app Snapchat was a false alarm. Police say a New Mexico student was behind the original message, which quickly spread to schools across the country with the BHS initials.

"It may feel like a joke, but it's not funny at all any time of the year, especially not following such horrific events like what happened in Florida," says Binghamton Schools Superintendent Tonia Thompson.

Threats like this one are the reason Binghamton has certain security measures in place.

"In our vestibule, students are required to swipe in their IDs in the morning, which brings up a picture on our end to make sure they match who they are," says Binghamton High School Principal Kevin Richman.

One armed school resource officer stands guard at the front desk, while a second roams the hallways.

"Parents entrust me to keep their kids safe during the day, so it's really just a precautionary measure to make sure that we're doing just that," says Richman.

This year, the school has also added more safety staff. Many of those individuals are retired police officers who have training to deal with emergency situations.

200 security cameras help to monitor the safety of the more than 1,600 student body. The school is also planning to heighten security at the main entrance as part of the more than $34 million district-wide capital project.